Final Project:
Model the form of your essay upon one of the essays from last week's hybrid section. You will choose your own subject matter which you will treat using sectioned format. Do outside research (at least four outside sources) and model your essay on Walker, Hassaan, Trubek or Livacarri using the outside research to help you develop an implicit argument surrounding personal memoir. You will not have an overt thesis statement, but your message/ overarching idea must build throughout the essay.
For your proposal, please present two possible options outlining how you will use your own personal story alongside outside research. Please place your preferred subject first. (one page per subject proposal).
Essays from last week
1. Read Nicole Walker, "Carbs"
Nicole Walker, "Microclimates Lower Sonoran"
Ihab Hassan, Despots in the Sand: "A Quizzical Memoir"
Christopher Livaccari, "Of Emptiness, Nothingness, and Asymptotic Freedom"
Anne Trubek, "On Finally Seeing the Polish Rider at the Frick Museum"
Examples of former student projects:
One student wrote about how the spork perfectly represented the differences between hers and her husband's cultures.
One student did research on the invention of the post-it note and incorporated his experience feeling depersonalized in a typical 9-5 office job.
One student researched a few philosophies on death and different cultures and compared them to her experience of her father's death.
Things that don't work as well:
Really, there are no subject matters that are off limits. As we've discussed at length in this class, the treatment of the subject is much more important. i will say this, make sure that your desire to share a personal experience does not cloud the overall message of the essay. In other words, it's less important to stay true to unimportant details and chronological orders than it is to build a thematic. Your personal experience is simply another layer in the exploration of a concept.
Final Project (due August 3, 8-10 pages)
Final Project: Choose one of the essays from this hybrid section. Do outside research (at least four outside sources) and model your essay on one of the hybrid models using the outside research to help you develop an implicit argument. You will not have an overt thesis statement, but your message/ overarching idea must build throughout the essay. Basically, the aim of the assignment is to mix your own non-fiction experiences with research you do in the databases.
Based upon your proposal, construct an essay that combines non-fiction material from your own life as well as researched material. You will be graded on the following criteria:
- Focus on one primary concept or theme
- Development of a unique perspective
- Structure / organization - use the sectioned format in a meaningful way.
- Conventions (MLA / grammar)
- The interweaving of at least three outside sources (don't forget to parenthetically site and include a works cited page according to MLA convention).
- 8-10 pages of content